Of Late Nights and Oranges
by beamz
Summary: Pre Mermen island. Nami's more than a little nervous about where the Strawhats are heading, but she doesn't want to seem weak, so she hides her fear. But we all should know bottling up our emotions is no good. LuNa.


**Naturally, a LuNa. The strawhats are heading to a place called mermen island soon (in the manga at least), bringing back memories to a young woman on the ship.**

**This is most definitely a DEDICATION.**

**To one of my best buddies here- God'sAngel. THX!**

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

The sun rose absentmindedly over the soft horizon of the sea, and birds of many kinds opened their wings and greeted the fresh air in flight. The ocean lapped quietly against the smooth deck of _Thousand Sunny _with soft splashes and a message was born- It was morning.

The early morning rays warmed the deck of the monstrous ship as its caretakers awoke from their rooms, meeting each other on the grand, long deck. Luffy was the first awake, running around the large ship in joy for another day, obviously not caring who -or what- was still sleeping.

"YOSH! It's morning already!" Luffy exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air and waving them wildly, "That means… IT'S TIME FOR BREAKFAST! SANJI! FOOD!" His voice broke through the silent calm that was morning, waking more than one unhappy crew member. His sandaled feet clinked against the wood deck as he ran straight to his favorite place- the kitchen, hoping to be the first fed.

'_Whoever in the HELLS is yelling this early in the morning is about to get a sword up their ASS…'. _Zoro yawned loudly and stretched, quite irritated with whoever had woken him from his deep slumber. He heard a door slam towards the kitchen as he stood up, nodding in that direction. "That's Luffy alright." He put his hand to his face, shaking his head at a loss for his Captain's child-like behavior, and followed suit towards the kitchen.

"SANJIIIIII! BREAKFAST!" Luffy yelled from the kitchen, getting impatient already.

The irritated cook grabbed a cigarette from his pocket and lit it, taking a drag just outside his quarters. "Idiot…" He hit his strong feet to the ground, trying to awaken them a little, too; he was drowsy from the nights rest and only half-expected to be woken up so abruptly by his Captains booming voice yet again. It's not like they weren't just drinking massive amounts of liquor just that last night! Where the hell did the rubber man put it all?

'_Ah. That's right. Rubber. Stretches.' _Sanji sighed as it all came to him, realizing Luffy's expanding stomach held a lot more liquor than he did.

He took one last drag of his cigarette and tossed it aside, starting to make his way to the kitchen where probably the rest of the crew awaited him. His heavy, shining shoes glittered in the early morning rays.

Sanji's head perked up as he heard footsteps behind him, light, feathery soft footsteps that could only belong to one of two people on the ship. Thinking of his two favorite women, Sanji composed himself and turned around, giving a loud-

"NAMI-SWANNN!" as he opened his arms to her. "Good morning my sweet! I must say you look even more beautiful in the morning hours!" He gave her a cheesy grin as he looked to her, eyes resembling huge hearts _way_ out of proportion.

His compliments met a sour face as the woman walked toward him.

Nami wasn't exactly in the greatest mood today. In fact, she hasn't been in the greatest mood for days. And now wasn't the time to sweet talk her for affection. She was sure she was going to be the last one to breakfast, but paid it no mind.

'What does he _want _from me?' She thought to herself. She furrowed her brows slightly at the man, looking aggravated. 'I'm NOT in the mood for this.' She sighed slightly, trying to give the man a small smile and she walked right by him.

"Sorry, Sanji, not right now." She told him, not giving eye contact. She raised her hand and waved him off, walking. He just watched her as her fair figure walked its way towards the kitchen, entering with the sound of an open door and closing with a slam.

Sanji, his arms still open, looked disappointed. "Sure thing, Nami-san." He spoke to himself, catching no reply as the cool morning breeze played with his hair. Slowly he lowered his arms, reaching for another cigarette and placing it into his mouth out of habit.

He lit his cigarette as he walked towards the kitchen and thought to himself. He knows when something is bothering Nami, he can feel it. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he continued walking and thinking, face in concentration. Despite all the times she's rejected his attempts, there were some times where she was different- almost distant to anything and everything around her. It made him feel almost cold inside when he thought of what might be ailing the young woman, but alas, it was not his place to interject. When she has a problem and wants someone to know about it, she'll tell them. Sanji knew this, but he worried for when she told no-one. Who was to interject then?

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"Nami? Could you pass the salt?"

A very innocent looking Chopper looked across the table, staring intently at the obviously irritated young woman, his paws out as far as they could reach. He looked at the woman almost as if at her mercy, pleading for the simple condiment. His eyes bugged out the instant a salt-shaker flew toward him and landed square in the center of his forehead, and he yelped, "Ow! Namiiiii!" His eyes watered slightly at the sudden aggression, but, hoping not to irritate the woman any more, sighed and said in a shaky voice "Thanks Nami…"

Zoro looked up from his plate to look at the woman, perplexed as to why she was acting so irritated. His mouth turned to a slim straight line in slight annoyance as he looked over to Chopper, seeing the small bump that took the place where the salt had landed. Deciding to figure out what exactly was making his morning a bit less enjoyable, he spoke up.

Looking back over at Nami, he said "Oi, Nami, what's your deal?"

At the sudden break in the silence, the crew stopped inhaling the food in front of them to listen to the swordsman. They settled their silverware down with clinks of the utensils meeting the table, barely eating the chunks of food still in their mouths. Even Robin politely set down her things to listen. Most of them half stared at the young Navigator in question, listening intently for any reply.

They too, had noticed a change in her behavior.

Chopper and Usopp became aware of how temperamental the young Navigator had gotten in recent days- She _refused_ to play their games and simply didn't put up with their jokes. They knew that even though Nami would often tease them for being immature, she'd still join in every once in awhile for a laugh, but _this_ Nami was just downright rejecting anything they offered. After her first couple of outbreaks, the two men tried their best to stay out of her way, and dared not to look her in the eyes in case she took offense and threatened to pummel them.

As for Zoro, Robin, and Franky, they knew something was up the moment the Navigator began to spend much of her time alone in her room. Most days she just ate, stays in her room, checks on her orange trees, and sleeps. She dismisses the rest of the crew by saying she's going to work on more maps and says not to bother her.

Once, Sanji knocked on her door to offer her a special dessert and got a door slammed in his face. Though the swordsman found this acutely amusing, he knew that Nami wasn't joking around. The chef sulked away and didn't bother her again, but Zoro wondered what possibly could make Nami so ornery. Franky, thinking Robin would be the best to know what was wrong, had been asking the historian for days what she thought was wrong. Naturally, Robin could do no more than say she had no better idea than the rest of them, and it was best to leave the young woman alone.

Even Luffy, the dim-witted, carefree Captain noticed the sudden change in his Navigators behavior. He could tell something was wrong as soon as she stopped nagging him for doing idiotic things. She would just look at him momentarily, scowl, and continue marching towards her room. He hadn't remembered her acting so cold since when he was trying to get her to join his crew. He also noticed her wearing longer-sleeved shirts now, ones that had sleeves to cover the shoulders and half of the upper-arm. It wasn't even that cold out, the tropical air was to die for and yet she put on more clothes. What was the point?

He knew she was trying to shut all of them out, too. If anyone knew her best, it would be him, and he knew it. He understood what everything she did meant. She didn't want them to talk to her, talk about her, look at her, or even help her. Knowing Nami, something like this concerned her pride and a part of herself she was at war with.

But why the longer shirt? His brows furrowed in thought, knowing something so simple could mean the answer to his questions. He inwardly cursed the girl for making him wonder again, she always was too smart for him sometimes. Looking up, he glanced at her from across the table as the swordsman called her out, taking caution to the wind with the irritable woman.

_What are you hiding, Nami?_

Nami, noticing the plethora of eyes that were now staring at her, put down her fork and glared at them. She got tense, and replied to the green-haired man quickly.

"I don't HAVE a deal! And if I DID, it'd be none of your business, got it?!" She stared the green-haired man down, and then looked to all of her crewmates, looking them in the eyes.

She immediately noticed Chopper and Usopp's fear, it nearly radiated off of them. _'Probably afraid I'll throw something at them._' she thought to herself, smirking. She then realized Zoro's, Robin's, and Franky's looks of question. They were probably still confused in her sudden change of personality. '_They don't know anything. That's fine, I'm glad they don't, they'd make a big deal out of it anyways.'_

Nami then turned her attention over to her Captain, and stopped there. She stared at him, endlessly and confused.

'_Why,' _she thought, '_is he… looking at me like that?' _She frowned.

Luffy looked Nami straight into her eyes, not backing down to the tough exterior she put in front of them. He looked inside her eyes, searching for an answer. '_Why isn't she happy?'_ he thought inwardly, digging deeper. His face upturned and his usual smile creased down to a frown as he looked at her, and his eyes softened and showed more than a slight hint of sadness in them.

'_Why can't I… figure out what's wrong?'_ he thought. He then changed his gaze to her shoulder, which was still covered in fabric and hidden from the world.

Nami felt herself get tense as she realized what her Captain was staring at- her left shoulder. Her hands tightened their grasp on the table as she immediately heaved herself up, looking down at her Captain. He looked up to her in question, realizing how fast she was to move when he stared at _that_ aspect of her body.

'_What is it?'_ He looked up to her, thinking and letting his thoughts speak through his eyes.

Nami looked away from him, scowling. "Stop it." She said, ordering him. He felt the wrinkles of his face begin to form as he still stared at her, concerned.

'_Why?' _His thoughts questioned.

Nami ignored him, making her way from the table and deciding to leave the kitchen quickly. "All of you… leave me alone!" she yelled in anger, and she slammed the kitchen door yet again, making her way away from the rest of the crew.

It was silent for the rest of breakfast that morning.

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The afternoon sun shone brilliantly on the massive ship, letting it bask in the waves of warmth it provided. A cool breeze played into the sails, refreshing to the skin and indeed helpful to the journey. A group of orange trees sat atop the structure, branches swing slightly in the wind and fruits pure and ripe for the picking.

Nami found herself tending to the orange trees, and still cooling off from earlier that morning. Her body moved in a swift, agile manner, gracefully plucking the ripest oranges from the trees and placing them in a basket at her feet. Her slim fingers felt smooth on the fruits surface, climbing up to its end and plucking it from its tree gently, as if motherly.

'_Why do they need to know what's wrong?' _Nami questioned herself, frowning. She thought as she carefully tended to her trees, concentrating to the point that she felt all on her own. She saw nothing but her orange trees- and thought of nothing but their journey, where they were headed.

The mermen island.

Nami sighed as she stood up and looked over the ocean. The long, distant horizon looked back at her, calling for her to follow.

She looked down momentarily, thinking hard. _'The past is the past. Nothing can change that.' _She looked up slightly, a frown finding its way back onto her face. '_But it's the scars it leaves behind that matter.'_

Her tiny hands formed fists at her sides, as the urge to reach toward her left shoulder grew harder to resist. She began to grit her teeth together as she caved in, finally giving in to the urge to trace that bit of her past. Her right arm reached forward and moved toward her shoulder- where her tattoo lay.

A windmill and an orange. She knew that's the tattoo she chose to have, she designed it.

Her hand tightened around her upper arm as she thought, '_So why can I feel Arlong's crest?'_

She sighed. For nights on end she'd wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat. She'd be short of breath, and her shoulder would hurt. She'd realize that her one hand was always so close to that shoulder, it seemed strange to say the least. She moved her hand closer to her shoulder, feeling for the smooth skin that the tattoo resided on. Instead, she met scratches.

Where her new tattoo usually was, there were scratches that inflamed the skin, making it protrude in weird curves and jagged lines. It wasn't really a big deal at first, but it was then she realized how familiar the scratches were.

It was Arlong's crest.

She mentally cursed herself for being so weak and tried to wash it off, but it was no use. Every time she woke up, the scratches would be there again, her subconscious was speaking to her in dastardly ways. Dead skin lie under her fingernails.

Nami stared blankly into the horizon, her thoughts drifting. She was going to an island infested with the very creatures that caged her, tortured her, and lied to her. It stung, and she knew she would never find the forgiveness inside of her to give to any creature of that specie. She glanced slightly down toward the oranges at her feet, and an older woman's face came to mind- red hair, pale face, smoking cigarette.

And she watched the woman's face blow away with the wind, gone.

No, she would never forgive them.

Out of nowhere, Luffy walked up behind the thinking Navigator and studied her. His stance was willful and unmoving- he wasn't leaving without an answer this time. He watched as her arm moved over her shoulder and clenched it, watched as her glance moved from the horizon to the oranges at her feet, he watched, as the emotions that rolled off of her drifted into the air and came to him.

With a steady face he spoke to her, "Oi, Nami."

Startled, Nami whipped around to face her Captain, jerking her hands to her sides and staring at him questioningly. She suddenly felt it hard to breathe, as if he were studying every inch of her in that moment, and reading her mind. His trademark hat was off his head and hung around his neck as he looked at her- no smile, not even a frown, just a slight turn in his mouth that showed no more than concern.

After what seemed like hours, she answered. "What do you want?"

He didn't answer. He just looked from her, to her shoulder again, contemplating. Without waiting for an invitation, he stretched out his arm and grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her just a bit closer so she was in a normal arms reach. She hesitated, looking at him in surprise- hoping this would just be another ill placed joke. But her surprise didn't meet one of his smiles this time; he just looked at her, hard.

"Show me."

"Wh-What?" Surprised by the sudden order, she stammered on her words and grew nervous. Frowning a bit, Luffy tilted his head and looked her straight in the eyes, his usual calm destroyed by the thoughts in his head, telling him things about his Navigator he would never have believed.

'_Tell me it isn't there…'_

His grip on her shoulder tightened just a bit, afraid she'd run away. "Show me your tattoo, I wanna see it."

Eye's widening in realization, Nami bit her lip and looked right at the man in front of her. _'How would he know…' _ Perplexed, she looked away from his consistent stare and frowned, upset that he caught on to the one thing she thought no-one would notice.

"No."

Not wanting to put up with her defiance this time, he stood his ground and answered back, his voice strong. "Why?"

Nami whimpered inside at his consistent tries to talk with her. '_Why is he so concerned? He doesn't even know for sure if there's anything there!_' Deciding to push the boy away and fix her own problems, she raised her voice, practically yelling now.

"Because there's nothing wrong with it! Now let me GO!" Biting her lip, she pushed him away from her, attempting to get out of his grasp. She pulled away, immediately feeling his hands grasp tighter around her arms, as if daring anyone to even try pull them apart.

Naturally, Luffy wasn't expecting any less from his Navigator, she was a stubborn woman who thought her problems concerned no one but herself. She was selfish, but he knew that too, was meant in the best way possible.

"Nami!" He yelled her name, trying his best to get her attention. His eyes pleaded to her, begging her to just _listen_ for once.

"No! Stop it Luffy!" She yelled back, moving her face away from him, trying her hardest not to look him in the eyes. She pulled and pulled from him to no avail, struggling as she continued to push him farther away. "This isn't any of your business!"

Immediately, he grabbed her tighter as his body tensed, and with a swift movement he ripped the sleeve of her shirt clean off.

The fabric tore as did the woman's wish to move, and a sudden silence came over them. Nami just stood there helpless as he held onto her and stared blankly at her shoulder. What could she do? She knew she had to get away as soon as possible, in her mind hoping this would be just a dream and as soon as she got away she'd wake up.

But Luffy wouldn't dare let her go.

Luffy looked at her shoulder, studying it for a second. At first, his face was blank and careless, as if he were taking everything in.

'_Scratches…'_

His hold on her loosened just a bit, and he raised his hand to her shoulder slowly, as if really questioning whether this was real. His mouth opened slowly in both disbelief, and curiosity and his rough hand softly touched the surface of her usually smooth skin. No… they were real alright.

His fingers traveled slowly across the surface, sensing every last curve and brake in the odd design and hating it as much as it was real. It _was_ Arlongs crest, the same man who imprisoned Nami's village and used her for his own benefits. He was the one man who made Nami cry.

'_It's practically carved over her tattoo.'_

Slowly, Luffy's eyes grew dark and thin. Anger slowly crept its way inside him the further he thought. His dark, black locks covered his eyes as his teeth clenched together while he stood.

Quietly, almost soundlessly, a low growl found its way in Luffy's throat.

'_Why couldn't Nami's past leave her ALONE?' _he thought. _'Even when I took away every physical attachment she had to her hard past… It STILL found a way to get to her.' _Getting more aggravated the more he figured out, Luffy realized that Nami was harboring fears, hate, and nervousness even when she hadn't tried to. Somehow, subconsciously those feelings came out… she was still imprisoned in some way.

"You see? It's no big deal. Now can I GO?" Nami broke his thoughts, still looking away from him and pulling to get out of his grasp. _'I don't care what he thinks. I just need to GO.'_

Tugging a little harder, she seemed to finally snap Luffy out of his daze and he looked straight at her, his eyes showing confusion, hurt, and sympathy, and his mouth back in a frown.

"NO!" he yelled, looking down. "We need to talk!"

"No we DON'T Luffy! Now let GO!" she yelled, giving one last pull with the rest of her energy. Slightly catching the rubber man off guard, she fell backwards, him following close behind.

_Umph!_

With a loud _thud, _the two landed in the grass next to the orange trees, a little disoriented from the fall.

Nami began to pull herself up, holding her head with one hand obviously trying to steer clear of the upcoming headache from the fall. She propped herself on her elbows, lying practically on her back and looked around, coming face to face with none other than her Captain.

He was straddling her, his loose jean shorts draped over her slightly and his red vest glowing in the midday sun, both his arms on either side of her. His large hands gripped the grass at his fingertips and his legs were rested on his knees and also on either side of her slim figure. His face was inches from hers, and he looked deeply at her with his dark locks hanging in his eyes- he breathed aloud slightly and had a look of utmost seriousness on his face with just a glint of playfulness in his eyes.

"Nami, listen to me." He began, taking advantage of her current shock. "We're nakama. We do anything for each other, no matter what it is. We'll help you get through Mermen Island, and trust _me_," he said, getting a little closer to her, "not one of those mermen is gunna lay a finger on you."

Now getting a little nervous at their close proximity, Nami gulped, feeling herself getting warmer and warmer with the man on top of her, blocking the cool breeze from reaching her fair skin. She looked up at him and stared at the serious face he was giving her, feeling herself overload with questions. Her eyes felt as if they weren't allowed to blink, she couldn't tear away from his stare and she got lost in the dedication and friendship he was offering her.

Finally, she looked over to find that she couldn't see her own legs- the strong man was blocking her view of them as he lay practically atop her as if it were a common day occurrence. She open and closed her hands, feeling the soft blades of grass cool her nervous figure.

"But… why?" She finally spit out, talking quieter this time.

Noticing her finally begin to break down in front of him and start to slowly stir underneath him in nervousness, he finally let a small smirk come to his face. '_She's nervous… who woulda thought…'_

Leaning his head down further, he noticed her look back up to him, their noses practically touching and causing her to gasp in surprise at his sudden closeness. Her warm, sweet breath cooled his face as he felt her inhale and exhale a little faster at the close proximity.

Surprised, she began to speak.

"Luffy, Wha-" She gasped, taking a deep breath;

Immediately as she begain talking, Luffy felt himself dip his head lower and tilt toward her face, now so close their lips would touch with the slightest movement. He looked up into her eyes, smirked, and looked back toward her lips.

"Because, " He paused, their lips _just barely _touching as he spoke to her, teasing her, "We're Nakama… right… Nami?" he asked in a low voice.

And with that, he pulled himself up off of her, dusting off his clothes and pulling his straw hat from around his neck and holding it.

Nami felt the blood rush to her cheeks when he spoke to her, making her shiver slightly and freeze in her spot. His warm lips just barely made contact with hers when he spoke, just to tease her! Feeling embarrassed but so relieved he came for her, she turned to look up at the pirate Captain to meet his outstretched hand.

"Need help, Nami?" he asked her, grinning down at her slow reaction.

Grabbing his hand, she let him pull her back up to her feet, she stuttered "Th-Thanks…" still a little dazed from just being on the ground.

As soon as he felt her slim fingers grasp his outstretched hand, he pulled her up and immediately placed his hat on her head, and used his other hand to put around her back and pull her closer.

She gasped at his forwardness, and soon felt herself relax in his hold. He was so protective like this… his arms encasing her and protecting her, warming her body until her cold thoughts were gone. Her eyes softened and she looked out past his shoulder, knowing this man would never give up on her, even with good reason too.

"Nami," he spoke into her ear, whispering, "you can take care of my hat until we get through that island, got it?" He squeezed her gently.

Finally understanding his meaning, she felt her shoulders droop and her head look down- she didn't deserve this. Soft tears formed in her eyes, blurring her vision and escaping, rolling down her face in silent rivers. She sniffed, holding back the lump in her throat to reply.

Wrapping her arms around him, she leaned her head against his chest, still crying, and said "Yes… Thank you, Luffy…"

Smiling to himself, he let go of her and pet the hat that now lie atop her bright orange hair. "Don't worry about it." He dropped his arm, grazing her left shoulder at the tips as it fell, leaving a tingling warmth there- a protective cover that helped battle away her fears.

She looked up at him again, wiping her face with the back of her hand, and finally smiling at him, showing off the grand, white teeth that illuminated her smile.

'_As it should be.'_ Luffy thought, smiling back at her.

"If you need me, you know where to find me, Nami." He told her, reassuring her that if she needed him for something, he'd be there to do it. He gave her arm a comforting squeeze, then turned around and began to walk off. Nami watched as his figure walked off, gazing at him admiringly. Her hand rose above her head and landed on the hat that now resided there.

'_You give me courage…'_

Suddenly, only a few feet away, Luffy stopped- a fallen orange at his feet.

He bent down, grabbing the delectable fruit and held it in his hand. Still facing away from Nami, he brought out the orange and held it out on his right side, his arm bent and palm facing the sky; the orange in its center.

"Nami."

He turned his head slightly, looking down to the side, his hair covering his eyes. She looked at him, curious.

"I meant it."

His fingers encased the orange in his palm.

"If they even try to touch you…"

With a swift flex, the orange exploded in Luffy's hand, his fingers curled together in a fist and his muscular arm tensed, showing the many veins existing there. Drops of sweet orange liquid dripped from his hand down his arm and into the grass, gliding over his skin and drying into sticky strands that shined, and he looked back, glancing at her with those deadly, menacing eyes.

"I'll kill them."

The young woman gulped, believing every word as she stood, watching him. "Okay." She answered.

At that moment, Luffy's body calmed- his muscles relaxing as he smirked in relief for gaining her approval. With a wave, he made his way back to the front of the ship, exactly where he'd be if she needed him.

"See ya, Nami!"

Nami just smiled in response, grabbing the rim of the straw hat, feeling its strange textures contrast with her smooth fingertips. Glancing over, she went back to picking her oranges, her basket nearly full. She bent down as one fell to the ground, carefully retrieving the delicate fruit from the long strands of grass.

Pausing, she stared at the fruit and pictured a face. The face had a voice, it was deep and serious. Black hair waved in the breeze and dark eyes stared back at her, and the voice spoke-

"_If they even try to touch you… "_

-Orange liquid sprayed around like blood, and dripping into the grass.-

"_I'll kill them."_

Holding the orange a little tighter, Nami brought her hand to her face, leaning her hot forehead against the cool fruit, relieving her. Her bright orange tresses fell forward as she sighed, and an inaudible whisper escaped her lips.

_Thank you._

_-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-_

**So this one _definitely_ turned out longer than expected lol. But I do hope it was good, please leave reviews for me! I leave reviews whenever I read a story :-P**

**beamz**


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